(PhD Yale University, 2014)

My research sits at the intersection of normative political theory and international relations, focusing on the role that borders play in contemporary politics and how this informs questions of sovereignty, citizenship and global justice. In particular I contribute to a growing literature on the evolution of state sovereignty afterglobalization, as well as newer themes on securitization such as identity-management, risk-assessment, and the rise of Big Data.

My current book manuscript, “The Venn Paradox: Borders and Bordering in the US after 9/11,” reveals borders to be thick, multi-faceted and bi-national institutions –rather than thin, legal-topographical instantiations of sovereignty – that are rapidly evolvingin response to globalized flows. New forms of state collaboration (co-bordering)create a form of sovereignty that is increasingly heterogeneous, due to the very security mechanisms erected towards sovereign defense – “The Venn Paradox”. This unfolding geopolitical order has important normative consequences. With the right institutions, co-bordering and data-sharing has the potential to enable more just, inclusive forms of citizenship, representation and rights. Absent such institutions, these trends will likely reify neo-Imperial power asymmetries and act in the service of the greater subjugation of migrants by state forces.

My research has been supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2009-2014). My dissertation, “Sovereignty in the Age of Securitization,” was awarded Distinction by the Yale Department of Political Science in 2014. I received a B.A. cum laude in Philosophy and Political Science from Yale in 2002.

“A Checkpoint Effect? Evidence from a Natural Experiment on Travel Restrictions in the West Bank,” American Journal of Political Science 58 (4): 1006-1023, 2014 (with Daphna Canetti and Nancy Hite-Rubin). (Link)